In the spotlight: Exploring celebrity worship, body image, and self-esteem among Indian professional college students

INTRODUCTION: Social media has increased young adults' exposure to celebrities, raising concerns about its potential effects on body image and self-esteem during the crucial period of identity development. OBJECTIVES: To examine the links between celebrity worship, body image, and self-esteem among Indian professional college students. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 601 students from professional colleges to measure celebrity worship and body image impact using scales developed by the authors. Self-esteem was assessed using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Structural validity was also assessed using exploratory factor analysis. Spearman correlations, regression analyses, covariate adjustment, and false discovery rate correction were also applied. RESULTS: Exploratory factor analysis revealed a three-factor structure for celebrity worship and a four-factor structure for body image impact. Celebrity worship had a weak positive association with body image impact and a weak negative association with self-esteem. A modest amount of variance appeared in the regression analysis, which remained consistent after adjusting for covariates. CONCLUSIONS: Celebrity worship, body image impact, and self-esteem were modestly yet significantly interrelated, indicating the complexity of these associations. The findings suggest that favorable forms of celebrity worship may not be universally associated with negative effects. Future research studies should aim to confirm this trend using longitudinal designs and more rigorous validation approaches, including confirmatory methods.